Raj Shah is the founder and President of Universal VAT Services. Raj, a seasoned tax expert and a successful entrepreneur, has created and run several successful companies for over three decades. As a finance professional, he has always had the enviable gift of being able to recognize the potential of every profitable financial opportunity that came his way and convert it to a successful business enterprise. His principal objective is to help companies and educational institutions understand that several countries have tax laws in place that allow foreign business travelers to recover a significant portion of their overseas business expenses, paid as VAT.

A graduate from Georgia State University, Shilpa Mehta is the Managing Partner of UVS India LLP. She has built the UVS back-office organization in India that efficiently processes VAT refund claims for clients located all over the world. Operating out of Mumbai, she has, over the years, offered invaluable support to the UVS head office in Atlanta in maximizing VAT refunds for its global clientele. She has been at the helm of UVS India since 2003. Shilpa had previously worked in the Factoring Division of C&S Bank, now acquired by Bank of America.

As Director of Operations at UVS , Deepa Kumar manages global operations and VAT recovery for high value clients. She has an MBA in finance and over seven years of experience in the banking and finance Industries.

Ciaran joined Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in Londonderry in 1998. After several years as an Overseas VAT Refund Auditor, he was moved seamlessly to the job of Enquiry Officer. His last job with HMRC involved resolving complex VAT refund issues with regard to the 13th and 2008/9/EC Directives. As a former officer of HMRC, with over 18 years of hands-on experience and his in-depth knowledge of the UK and Northern Ireland VAT refund processes, Ciaran is the go-to person for UVS clients who do business in UK/Northern Ireland. He is based in Londonderry in Northern Ireland.